Box eob axles



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED E. SMITH, OF BRONXVILLE, NEW YORK.

BOX FOR .AXLES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 14,415, dated March 11, 1856.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, ALFRED E. SMITH, of Bronxville, county ofVestchester, and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in the Conn struction of Boxes for Axles; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and 'exact description ofthe same, reference being made to the annexed drawings, making a part ofthis specification, in which- Figure I is a perspective view of my box,a part being in section to show interior construction; Fig. II is atransverse section; and similar letters refer to similar partsthroughout.

My invention consists in such improvements in the construction of theboxes for carriage wheel axles that the said axles may not only be keptmore perfectly and constantly lubricated, but also that the oil employedfor that purpose shall be preserved, particularly when the wheel is atrest. This has been to some extent, accomplished by enlarging the boreofrthe box at the central portion so that the bearings of the axles wereonly at the ends, and this enlarged part could be filled with oil, wherehowever it was of no possible use except as a reservoir to supply thebearing ends, and through which it was constantly wasting or oozing out.

It is desirable that the bearings of fine axles should be throughout theentire length of the box. The oiling of these has been attended withconsiderable difficulty, since they are accurately ground and fitted t0-gether, in order that the bearing may be as perfect as possible. Theconditions required are, that a thin film of sperm or other fine oilshould be constantly brought into contact with the axle as the boxrevolves upon it, and also that any excess should be taken up by thesame act, to avoid both waste and unsightly appearance. A specialgroove, cut either on the interior of the box, or on the surface of thearm of the axle, has been employed to effect the proper oiling, butthese necessarily cause much waste, since they act as conveyers when thewheel is in motion, to pass the oil out at one end. Grooves have alsobeen cut in a direction parallel with the axis of rotation,'both withinthe box and upon the exterior of the axle; these are in no sensereservoirs for the oil except when on the upper side of the axle,

and as that is stationary the oil cannot be fed out to lubricate thesurfaces.

By my improvement in the construction .of the box I am enabled to permita close apart, two semi-circular projections (b),A

much after the form and serving the purpose of the ordinary flies. Theseflies are not however solid but have longitudinal cavities throughouttheir entire length, and of the sectional form shown at (c), E ig. II.

Each of these cavities communicates with the interior of the box by anarrow slot extending throughout theA length of the cavity, and shown atin both the figures. This slot is placed at the upper part of one of thecavities, and at the lower part of that one opposite, as shown in F ig.II. Into a box thus constructed an axle is fitted accurately by grindingso as to have bearing throughout the entire length. I/Vhen these are tobe put together, a quantity of oil sufficient to ll one of the cavities(c), is poured in, and this suffices for a long time. When the wheel isin motion the oil is soon divided between the two cavities, since atalternate parts of the revolution one is acting as a distributer, andthe other at the same moment as a gatherer. A perfect lubrication of thesurfaces is thus insured, for the cavities themselves present a stratumof oil constantly against the axle for nearly the entire length of thearm, and from this Part enough works out to supply the ends.

I am aware that the flies have been cast with grooves in them, and thatone of these grooves has been made to connect by a tube along theoutside of the box, with the face of the hub, so that oil might bethereby poured in so as to avoid the necessity of .taking\the wheel off.These grooves cannot be said to act as reservoirs strictly, and theyalso have taken away too much of the bearing surface so that the axlewears into the box along the sides of the groove.

I do not claim making slots in the box in the line of the axle, orreservoirs commun-iallel to the aXis of the boX, With enlarged eatingWithv the aXie by holes or funnelV longitudinal cavities substantiallyas deshaped apertures; but scribed and for the purpose specied.

What I claim as my invention and desire ALFRED E. SMITH. z5 5 to secureby Letters Patent isw Titnesses:

The combination of two or more longitu- S. H. MAYNARD, dinal narrowslots cutin the direction par- WM. E. WHITE.

